Leon Schidlowsky

Leon Schidlowsky (b. Santiago, 1931, immigrated in 1969, lives in Tel-Aviv) was a father figure to many of the third generation of composers at The Rubin Israel Academy of Music at Tel-Aviv University in the 1970's and 1980's, exposing them to the avant garde he practiced since his studies in Germany in the 1950's. Among his students are Even-Or, Galinne, Amzallag, Radzynski, Olivero, Weidberg and Seroussi. His style is influenced by Schoenberg, and he has expressed deep appreciation for Nono’s expression of political involvement through artistic progressiveness. He wrote in various styles such as free atonality, 12-note serialism, total serialism, aleatory, and graphic composition. Kaddish (1967); Kristallnacht (1961); Invocation (1964); Babi Yar (1970); In Eius Memoriam (1973); Citizen 1230316 (1974); Tel-Aviv, Nacht (both 1979); Sealed Room; Dybbuk (1994); and Absalom (1996) are a few of his nearly 200 Darmstadt-influenced works. They bear many textual references to the history of the Jewish people and to distinct Israeli experiences.